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A review by samstillreading
The Hard Crowd: Essays 2000-2020 by Rachel Kushner
4.0
Rachel Kushner is an author I have always meant to read, but never got around to until now. Although she is best known for her fiction, The Hard Crowd is a collection of essays from the last twenty years on a wide range of topics. All are brilliantly written, sharp and well researched. While not all the topics were my jam, overall it was a thought provoking read.
The first essay is about a sort-of-illegal motorbike race, which reminded me a little of the Dakar rally but without the money behind it. It’s a gripping read and introduces Kushner to the reader as a woman who knows a lot about a wide range of topics. Several other essays mention classic cars she’s owned or owns (like the Ford Galaxie on the cover). I would have been happy for more about these cars, but sadly it was not to be. Other essays were on topics that I knew little about, such as Shuafat Refugee Camp in East Jerusalem, which were fascinating. The Italian politics of the 1970s and the underground films or art I was less interested in, but Kushner puts well informed knowledge forward with strong arguments. Kushner has also lived a fascinating life and her tales of San Francisco outside the tourist realm were captivating. I’d love to read her memoirs or a history of the city written by her. Her writing is always clear, with no room for ambiguity. She writes strongly and I’d love to read more of her non-fiction, focusing of her observations of life.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The first essay is about a sort-of-illegal motorbike race, which reminded me a little of the Dakar rally but without the money behind it. It’s a gripping read and introduces Kushner to the reader as a woman who knows a lot about a wide range of topics. Several other essays mention classic cars she’s owned or owns (like the Ford Galaxie on the cover). I would have been happy for more about these cars, but sadly it was not to be. Other essays were on topics that I knew little about, such as Shuafat Refugee Camp in East Jerusalem, which were fascinating. The Italian politics of the 1970s and the underground films or art I was less interested in, but Kushner puts well informed knowledge forward with strong arguments. Kushner has also lived a fascinating life and her tales of San Francisco outside the tourist realm were captivating. I’d love to read her memoirs or a history of the city written by her. Her writing is always clear, with no room for ambiguity. She writes strongly and I’d love to read more of her non-fiction, focusing of her observations of life.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com